Evaporated InSb thin films and their application to bubble domain devices

Indium antimonide thin films were deposited by the three-temperature method onto various kinds of amorphous substrates such as Corning 7059 glass using source materials of 99.9999 % purity. The optimum ratio of vapor pressures of indium and antimony, and the optimum temperature of the substrate, T_sub, were investigated for each substrate in order that the deposited film had the highest carrier mobility, μH, and Hall coefficient, R_H, as well as being perfectly stoichiometric when tested by the x-ray diffraction method. The microstructure of the films was also investigated as a function of T_sub. The thickness of the film varied between 1.0 – 3.2 μm. Among the films thus obtained the best one gave the characteristics of μ_H = 23,000 cm²/V·sec and R_H = 480 cm₃/C at room temperature. The latter value is entirely the same as that of the purest bulk material. This film was photo—etched to a cross—shaped Hall detector; the width of both the current lead and the output lead was 4μm. The device was applied to the detection of magnetic bubble domains of 10 μm diameter. The output voltage of 1.4 mV is larger than those ever reported for a bubble of the same order of diameter.     

Molecular beam epitaxy of CdTe and Hg1-xCdxTe ON GaAs (100)

Using the molecular beam epitaxial (MBE) technique, CdTe and Hg_1-xCd_xTe have been grown on Cr-doped GaAs (100) sub-strates. A single effusion cell charged with polycrystal-line CdTe is used for the growth of CdTe films. The CdTe films grown at 200 °C with a growth rate of ~ 2 μm/hr show both streaked and “Kikuchi” patterns, indicating single crystalline CdTe films are smoothly grown on the GaAs sub-strates. A sharp emission peak is observed at near band-edge (7865 Å, 1.577 eV) in the photoluminescence spectrum at 77 K. For the growth of Hg_1-xCd_xTe films, separate sources of HgTe, Cd and Te are used. Hg_0.6Cd_0.4Te films are grown at 50 °C with a growth rate of 1.7 μm/hr. The surfaces are mirror-smooth and the interfaces between the films and the substrates are very flat and smooth. As-grown Hg_0.6Cd_0.4Te films are p-type and converted into n-type by annealing in Hg pressure. Carrier concentration and Hall mobility of an annealed Hg_0.6Cd_0.4Te film are 1 × 10¹⁷ cm^?3 and 1000 cm²/V-sec at 77 K, respectively.     

Preparation and electrical properties of inas thin films

Thin films of InAs have been deposited on mica substrates through a vacuum evaporation technique by means of controlling the substrate and source temperatures. The films with large crystal grain were found to have the best electrical properties. The maximum electron mobility of 12, 400 cm²/V·sec at room temperature was obtained in an undoped film of 3 Μm thickness at a donor concentration of 3.5 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³. The temperature dependence of both electron mobility and resistivity of these films was slightly lower than those reported for bulk crystal type InAs.     

The impact of nitridation and nucleation layer process conditions on morphology and electron transport in GaN epitaxial films

A systematic study has been performed to determine the characteristics of an optimized nucleation layer for GaN growth on sapphire. The films were grown during GaN process development in a vertical close-spaced showerhead metalorganic chemical vapor deposition reactor. The relationship between growth process parameters and the resultant properties of low temperature GaN nucleation layers and high temperature epitaxial GaN films is detailed. In particular, we discuss the combined influence of nitridation conditions, V/III ratio, temperature and pressure on optimized nucleation layer formation required to achieve reproducible high mobility GaN epitaxy in this reactor geometry. Atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy have been used to study improvements in grain size and orientation of initial epitaxial film growth as a function of varied nitridation and nucleation layer process parameters. Improvements in film morphology and structure are directly related to Hall transport measurements of silicon-doped GaN films. Reproducible growth of silicon-doped GaN films having mobilities of 550 cm²/Vs with electron concentrations of 3 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³, and defect densities less than 10⁸ cm⁻² is reported. These represent the best reported results to date for GaN growth using a standard two-step process in this reactor geometry.     

Effect of oxygen on the properties of encapsulated polycrystalline CdSe films

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the effects of annealing silicon dioxide encapsulated CdSe films in oxygen on the microstructure, resistivity, photosensitivity and energy levels. The energy levels were investigated by using the independent methods of thermally stimulated current, photocurrent spectral response, and Hall measurements. The film structure is wurtzite with grains of average size 0.35 μm, which extend through the thickness of the films. Annealing the films in oxygen at 450°C increases the resistivity from 10 ohm cm to 10⁶ ohm cm. The electron mobility, which has an activation energy of 0.08 eV, remains constant at about 100 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ during the anneal steps. The change in the resistivity is due to a combination of thermal rearrangement and oxygen diffusing uniformly into the films. Various energy levels ranging from 0.11 eV to 1.3 eV were detected and the density of all these decreased on annealing.     

Optical,morphological and electrical studies of Zn:PbS thin films

Structural, electrical, and optical properties of undoped and Zn doped lead sulfide (PbS) thin films are benign reported in this paper. The subjected films were grown on glass substrates at 25 °C by a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The concentration of Zn in the deposition bath represented by the ratio [Zn²⁺]/[Pb²⁺] was varied from 0% to 5%. It was found that the film׳s grains decreased in size with increasing Zn content in the film. XRD data showed the polycrystalline nature of the film its crystal orientation peak intensities decreased with higher doping concentration of Zn. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements revealed that the surface roughness of the films decreased due to zinc doping as well. However, with increasing of the dopant concentration from 0% to 5%, the average transmittance of the films varied over the range of 35–75%. The estimated optical band (E_g) gaps of undoped and Zn doped PbS thin films were in the range of 0.72–1.46 eV. Hall Effect measurements electrical resistivity, carrier concentration and Hall mobility have been determined for the titled film as functions on the Zn content within the film׳s textures. The overall result of this work suggested that the Zn:PbS film is a good candidate as an absorber layer in the modern solar cell devices.     

Structural and Electrical Characterization of ZnO Films Grown by Spray Pyrolysis and Their Application in Thin‐Film Transistors

The role of the substrate temperature on the structural, optical, and electronic properties of ZnO thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis using a zinc acetate precursor solution is reported. Analysis of the precursor compound using thermogravimentry and differential scanning calorimetry indicates complete decomposition of the precursor at around 350 °C. Film characterization using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) optical transmission spectroscopy suggests the onset of ZnO growth at temperatures as low as 100 °C as well as the transformation to a polycrystalline phase at deposition temperatures >200 °C. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) reveal that as‐deposited films exhibit low surface roughness (rms ≈ 2.9 nm at 500 °C) and a crystal size that is monotonously increasing from 8 to 32 nm for deposition temperatures in the range of 200–500 °C. The latter appears to have a direct impact on the field‐effect electron mobility, which is found to increase with increasing ZnO crystal size. The maximum mobility and current on/off ratio is obtained from thin‐film transistors fabricated using ZnO films deposited at >400 °C yielding values on the order of 25 cm² V^?1s^?1 and 10⁶, respectively.     

Preparation and characteristics of Nb-doped indium tin oxide thin films by RF magnetron sputtering

Niobium-doped indium tin oxide(ITO:Nb)thin films are fabricated on glass substrates by radio frequency(RF)magnetron sputtering at different temperatures.Structural,electrical and optical properties of the films are investigated using X-ray diffraction(XRD),atomic force microscopy(AFM),ultraviolet-visible(UV-VIS)spectroscopy and electrical measurements.XRD patterns show that the preferential orientation of polycrystalline structure changes from(400)to(222)crystal plane,and the crystallite size increases with the increase of substrate temperature.AFM analyses reveal that the film is very smooth at low temperature.The root mean square(RMS)roughness and the average roughness are 2.16 nm and 1.64 nm,respectively.The obtained lowest resistivity of the films is 1.2×10-4?.cm,and the resistivity decreases with the increase of substrate temperature.The highest Hall mobility and carrier concentration are 16.5 cm2/V.s and 1.88×1021 cm-3,respectively.Band gap energy of the films depends on substrate temperature,which is varied from 3.49 eV to 3.63 eV.     

Low carrier concentration (PbSn)Te by molecular beam epitaxy

pb_0.77.77SN_0.23Te was grown by evaporation of the pure elements or of the binary compounds from Knudsen cell sources at l0^-10 torr. The growth chamber was provided with ion bombardment, LEED, Auger spectroscopy and quartz crystal deposition moni-toring. A Sn-wetted heating block was used for close control of substrate temperature. On chemomechanically-polished BaF₂ (100) substrates, monocrystalline films smooth to tens of Angstroms were obtained at 1 micrometer/hour growth rate over a substrate temperature range from 300 to 420°C; above A20°C, re-evaporation occurred. In growth from the elements, excess Pb remains as droplets on the film surface, but most excess Te re-evaporates. The remaining Te produces Pb vacancies which generate p-carriers; conversely, excess Pb produces n-carriers. A quartz crystal deposition rate monitor operat-ing at the growth temperature was used to tune impinging (Te/ Pb+Sn) ratio by observing the discontinuity in rate vs. (Te/ Pb+Sn) which occurred at the stoichiometric ratio. This technique yielded films with as-grown carrier concentrations in the high l0¹⁷ p/cm³ range at 77K. Closer stoichiometry control was obtained by growing from PbTe and SnTe sources with the use of a separate Pb source for reduction of inher-ent Te excess. For Pb_0.77Sn_0.23Te, The metal-rich single-phase boundary was found to cross the stoichiometric composition at 395 + 5°, so that only p-type material was obtainable above this temperature. By using 0.014 atomic fraction excess Pb, it was possible to constrain the film composition to this boundary and thus obtain close control over carrier concen-tration by appropriate adjustment of substrate temperature. Carrier concentrations of 2×l0¹⁷/cc at 77K were obtained in this manner for both n- and p-type material. Excess Pb coalesced into droplets spaced sparsely enough on the sur-face so as not to interfere with device fabrication. Hall mobilities were about 1×10⁴ cm² /v⋅sec at 77K. Attempts to reduce carrier concentration below 2×10¹⁷ cm^-3 resulted in anomalously low Hall voltages, suggesting existence of p and n domains in the films. The origins of this inhomogeneity are not clear at present.     

The influence of OMVPE growth pressure on the morphology, compensation, and doping of GaN and related alloys

Growth pressure has a dramatic influence on the grain size, transport characteristics, optical recombination processes, and alloy composition of GaN and AlGaN films. We report on systematic studies which have been performed in a close spaced showerhead reactor and a vertical quartz tube reactor, which demonstrate increased grain size with increased growth pressure. Data suggesting the compensating nature of grain boundaries in GaN films is presented, and the impact of grain size on high mobility silicon-doped GaN and highly resistive unintentionally doped GaN films is discussed. We detail the influence of pressure on AlGaN film growth, and show how AlGaN must be grown at pressures which are lower than those used for the growth of optimized GaN films. By controlling growth pressure, we have grown high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) device structures having highly resistive (10⁵ Ω-cm) isolation layers, room temperature sheet carrier concentrations of 1.2×10¹³ cm⁻² and mobilities of 1500 cm²/Vs, and reduced trapping effects in fabricated devices.     

In-Situ generated arsine radicals for gallium arsenide homoepitaxy

Removed from the deposition region, an upstream hydrogen microwave plasma generates arsenic hydrides by etching the surface of solid arsenic. The hydrides are transported to the deposition region and mixed with trimethylgallium to achieve low temperature (350°-400°C) and low pressure (750 mtorr) homoepitaxial GaAs films. Low precursor V:III ratios are used to achieve homoepitaxial films with high levels of carbon dopants (l0¹⁹ to mid 10²⁰ cm⁻³). No active or afterglow plasma exists in the growth region. The observed homo epitaxial growth activation energies of 54 kcal/mole and 66 kcal/mole for films deposited with V:III ratios of 1:1 and 1:4, respectively, are in the range of those reported for the heterogeneous decomposition of trimethylgallium in the absence of arsine. The films are found to be of good crystalline quality via double crystal x-ray rocking curves. The majority carriers are holes and have hole concentrations that correlate to the carbon doping, as determined by room temperature Hall effect measurements and secondary ion mass spectroscopy. Carrier mobility versus carbon concentration is also presented.     

电学性能不反常的本征GaAs基InSb异质外延研究

采用三步工艺进行了GaAs基InSb的异质外延生长并结合实验数据和文献资料研究了生长温度和速率、InSb层的厚度、低温缓冲层质量和双In源工艺对材料Hall电学性能等的影响。发现温度和生长速率对室温载流子迁移率和本征载流子浓度影响不太大;晶体XRD FWHM随膜厚的增加而逐渐地减小;低温缓冲层的界面质量和厚度对表面形貌具有一定的影响,低温缓冲层的界面厚度不应小于30 nm,ALE低温缓冲层的方法可以降低局部表面粗糙度;实验发现在优化的工艺参数基础上采用双In源生长工艺可以生长出电学性能不发生反常的理想本征InSb异质外延薄膜材料。获得2μm厚GaAs基InSb层在300 K和77 K的Hall迁移率分别为3.6546×104 cm^2 V^-1 s^-1和7.9453×104 cm^2 V^-1 s^-1,本征载流子迁移率和电子浓度随温度的变化符合理论公式的预期。     

High-quality conformal silicon oxide films prepared by multi-step sputtering PECVD and chemical mechanical polishing

High-quality conformal oxide films were obtained by using multi-step sputtering (MSSP) plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process with argon ion sputtering and chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). The repeated deposition by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and anisotropic etching of oxide films by multi-step sputtering PECVD improve the step coverage and gap filling capability significantly. The argon plasma treatment enhances the binding energy of Si-O in the SiO₂ network, and the temperature dependence of stress for MSSP oxide film showed no hysteresis after the heating cycle up to 440 °C. The stress-temperature slope of MSSP oxide film was found to be much less than that of conventional PECVD oxide film. The slope for 1.1 μm thick film is about 5.8×10⁵ dynes/cm²/°C which is smaller than that of thermally grown oxide film. It seems that MSSP oxide film reduces stress-temperature hysteresis and becomes more dense and void-free in the narrow gaps with inter-metal spacing of 0.5 μm. After filling of the narrow gap, we adopted the CMP process for global planarization and obtained good planarization performance. The uniformity of the film thickness was about 4% and the degree of the planarization was over 95% after CMP process.     

Effect of MBE Growth Conditions on Multiple Electron Transport in InN

A quantitative mobility spectrum analysis (QMSA) of multiple magnetic field data has been used to determine the transport properties of bulk and surface electron species in InN films, grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) with varying substrate temperatures and In/N flux ratios. While all films have similar bulk electron densities, ∼4 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³, the highest mobility was obtained in the highest growth temperature film (3100 cm²/V s at 150 K), while In-rich growth also gave good mobility values even at a much lower growth temperature. The surface sheet electron concentration increased with surface roughness, which increased with N-flux during growth.     

Growth and characterization of indium arsenide thin films

The growth and characterization of indium arsenide films grown on indium phosphide substrates by the metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process is reported. Either ethyl dimethyl indium or trimethyl indium were found to be suitable in combination with arsine as source compounds. The highest electron mobilities were observed in films nucleated at reduced growth temperature. Scanning electron microscopy studies show that film nucleation at low temperature prevents thermal etch pits from forming on the InP surface before growth proceeds at an elevated temperature. Electron mobilities as high as 21,000 cm²V⁻¹ sec⁻¹ at 300 K were thus obtained for a film only 3.4 μm thick. This mobility is significantly higher than was previously observed in InAs films grown by MOCVD. From the depth dependence of transport properties, we find that in our films electrons are accumulated near the air interface of the film, presumably by positive ions in the native oxide. The mobility is limited by electrons scattering predominantly from ionized impurities at low temperature and from lattice vibrations and dislocations at high temperature. However, scattering from dislocations is greatly reduced in the surface accumulation layer due to screening by a high density of electrons. These dislocations arise from lattice mismatch and interface disorder at the film-substrate interface, preventing these films from obtaining mobility values of bulk indium arsenide.     

A simple chemical route to synthesize the umangite phase of copper selenide (Cu3Se2) thin film at room temperature

Copper selenide (Cu₃Se₂)thin films have been synthesized with Se as the precursor in aqueous solution by chemical bath deposition technique at room temperature. We have investigated the influence of the growth time ranging from 30 to 90 min on structural, optical and electrical properties of Cu₃Se₂ thin films. The as-grown film at 60 min exhibits a tetragonal structure and is (101) oriented. The maximum value of crystal size D= 55 nm is attained for Cu₃Se₂ films grown at 60 min. The Raman spectrum reveals a pronounced peak at 259 cm^-1, which is assigned to vibrational (stretching) modes from the covalent Se-Se bonds. The optical band gap energy is 1.91 to 2.01 eV with growth time increased from 30 to 90 min. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study reveals that the grains are uniform and spread over the entire surface of the substrate of the film at 60 min. The Hall effect study reveals that the film exhibits p-type conductivity. The synthesized film showed good absorbance in the visible region which signifies that synthesized Cu₃Se₂ films can be suitable as a sensitized material in semiconductor sensitized solar cells.     

Structural,optical and electrical properties of Fe-doped SnO2 fabricated by sol–gel dip coating technique

Nanosized Fe³⁺-doped SnO₂ thin film was prepared by the sol–gel dip coating (SGDC) technique on quartz class substrate and sintered at 800 °C. The microstructures, surface morphology and optical properties of these films were then characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical absorption measurements, respectively. Electrical properties were analyzed, and resistivity, type and number of carrier concentration, Hall mobility measured as a function of Fe³⁺ doping and temperature. The XRD spectrum shows the decrease in peak heights as a result of Fe³⁺-doping while SEM images reveal reduction in crystallite size with increase in Fe³⁺ content. The optical studies showed a direct band gap reducing with increase in Fe³⁺-doping from 3.87 to 3.38 eV. From the electrical measurements, it was found that the resistivity initially increased with Fe³⁺-doping before reducing at higher doping level. Hall mobility measurements showed n-type conductivity at lower Fe³⁺-doping levels and p-type at higher levels. The increase in conductivity with temperature ascertained the semiconducting behavior of these films.     

Analysis of reactor geometry and diluent gas flow effects on the metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy of AIN and GaN thin films on α(6H)-SiC substrates

The influence of diluent gas on the metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy of AlN and GaN thin films has been investigated. A computational fluid dynamics model using the finite element method was employed to improve film uniformity and to analyze transport phenomena. The properties of AlN and GaN thin films grown on α(6H)-SiC(0001) substrates in H₂ and N₂ diluent gas environments were evaluated. Thin films of AlN grown in H₂ and N₂ had root mean square (rms) roughness values of 1.5 and 1.8 nm, respectively. The surface and defect microstructures of the GaN thin films, observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, respectively, were very similar for both diluents. Low temperature (12K) photoluminescence measurements of GaN films grown in N₂ had peak intensities and full widths at half maximum equal to or better than those films grown in H₂. A room temperature Hall mobility of 275 cm²/V·s was measured on 1 μm thick, Si-doped, n-type (1×10¹⁷ cm⁻³) GaN films grown in N₂. Acceptor-type behavior of Mg-doped GaN films deposited in N₂ was repeatably obtained without post-growth annealing, in contrast to similar films grown in H₂. The GaN growth rates were ∼30% higher when H₂ was used as the diluent. The measured differences in the growth rates of AlN and GaN films in H₂ and N₂ was attributed to the different transport properties of these mixtures, and agreed well with the computer model predictions. Nitrogen is shown to be a feasible alternative diluent to hydrogen for the growth of AlN and GaN thin films.     

Characterization of very high purity InAs grown using trimethylindium and tertiarybutylarsine

The growth of high purity InAs by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition is reported using tertiarybutylarsine and trimethylindiμm. Specular surfaces were obtained for bulk 5-10 μm thick InAs growth on GaAs substrates over a wide range of growth conditions by using a two-step growth method involving a low temperature nucleation layer of InAs. Structural characterization was performed using atomic force microscopy and x-ray diffractometry. The transport data are complicated by a competition between bulk conduction and conduction due to a surface accumulation layer with roughly 2–4 × 10¹² cm⁻² carriers. This is clearly demonstrated by the temperature dependent Hall data. Average Hall mobilities as high as 1.2 x 10⁵ cm²/Vs at 50K are observed in a 10 μm sample grown at 540°C. Field-dependent Hall measurements indicate that the fitted bulk mobility is much higher for this sample, approximately 1.8 × 10⁵ cm²/Vs. Samples grown on InAs substrates were measured using high resolution Fourier transform photoluminescence spectroscopy and reveal new excitonic and impurity band emissions in InAs including acceptor bound exciton “two hole transitions.” Two distinct shallow acceptor species of unknown chemical identity have been observed.     

Comparison of MBE Growth of InSb on Si (001) and GaAs (001)

We describe the epitaxial growth of InSb films on both Si (001) and GaAs (100) substrates using molecular-beam epitaxy and discuss the structural and electrical properties of the resulting films. The complete 2 μm InSb films on GaAs (001) were grown at temperatures between 340°C and 420°C and with an Sb/In flux ratio of approximately 5 and a growth rate of 0.2 nm/s. The films were characterized in terms of background electron concentration, mobility, and x-ray rocking curve width. Our best results were for a growth temperature of 350°C, resulting in room-temperature mobility of 41,000 cm²/V s.  For the growth of InSb on Si, vicinal Si(001) substrates offcut by 4° toward (110) were used. We investigated growth temperatures between 340°C and 430°C for growth on Si(001). In contrast to growth on GaAs, the best results were achieved at the high end of the range of T _S =  C, resulting in a mobility of 26,100 cm²/V s for a 2 μm film. We also studied the growth and properties of InSb:Mn films on GaAs with Mn content below 1%. Our results showed the presence of ferromagnetic ordering in the samples, opening a new direction in the diluted magnetic semiconductors.